Quotes

Satan’s greatest ambassadors are not pimps, politicians, or power-brokers, but pastors. His priests do not peddle a different religion, but a deadly perversion of the true one. His troops do not make a full-out frontal assault, but work as agents, sneaking into the opposing army. Satan’s tactics are studied, clever, predictable, effective. Therefore, we must always remain vigilant. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16a). -Tim Challies

“In Genesis Chapter 1, it defines the Trinity of God, the three parts of God.” Theologian and Prophet, Mark T. Barclay[1]

In this new blog post, I want to build upon what was already said concerning Mark T. Barclay’s destructive teachings against the Evangelical doctrine of the Trinity, but first I would like to do a refresh for those who are just tuning in.

By denying the Persons of the Trinity and teaching that the Godhead is composed of parts like his son Josh. Mark T. Barclay is a heretic and teaching the worst heresy to ever affected and infected the Church.

Furthermore, we can conclude along with the Creedal statements of the Historical Church that Mark T. Barclay not only has a different God by teaching heretically, but also a different Christ, like all other cults and false religions.

The doctrine of the Trinity is so basic in Scripture, that it is a non-negotiable doctrine in Christianity. So, when a heretic teaches falsely on the Trinity, a dangerous chain reaction occurs in other foundational doctrines and one immediate catastrophe happens in Christology.

“Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” 1 John 2:22-23

How can I say that Mark T. Barclay has a different Christ? Well, it is not me who has, but Scripture speaks for itself and the Christ who is self-revealed in Scripture is personal and not only a person, but fully God and fully man. He is not a part of God, but he is fully God as with the other members of the Holy Trinity.

Here is a little side note: Central teachings in Scripture regarding the Lord Jesus Christ, like the Hypostatic union are attacked by Mark T. Barclay’s Trinitarian heresy and not only by him, but other false prophets from other cults do the same in regards to Christology.[2]

Only persons interact with others and we see this interaction in Holy Scripture between the Persons of the Trinity. Moreover, the Holy Spirit is not just a part as Mark T. Barclay falsely teaches, but the Spirit is fully God, being Lord. The Holy Spirit is personal, lovingly interacting with the other members of the Holy Trinity and the Church.

So, by this we can conclude that Mark T. Barclay not only has the wrong Trinity, but by doing so. Barclay like other cults and false teachers has the wrong spirit and not the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit revealed in the Bible and who was poured out on the Church is fully God and is Lord. He is not a part as Mark T. Barclay heretically teaches, but is personal, being the third Person in the Godhead.

“Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” Acts 5:3-4

The above passage specifically teaches that Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit and here I would like to point out that only persons can be lied to. Peter also being a strict monotheist referred to the Spirit as God. He knew that there is only one God and yet he referred to the Holy Spirit as God.

The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons–the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In other words, God is one in essence and three in person. These definitions express three very important truths: 1. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, 2. Each Person is fully God, 3. There is only one God.

There are dozens of Trinitarian passages in the bible, but let us look at another important one regarding the Logos.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” John 1:1-4

Who is the Word in reference to? Well it is Jesus, the eternal Son of God, who is the Word. We easily find that out by reading further in verse 14 and “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Here in John, the Word of God indicates distinction and not only distinction, but also indicates identity within the unity of the Godhead. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not different parts or forms or components appearing in one God, but on the contrary! Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are present from the beginning(eternity), which suggest a relationship of close personal intimacy.

In the Greek, John 1.1 refers to a face to face relationship between the members of the Trinity. It is so important to point out here that ‘if’ the Trinity was made up of parts as Mark T. Barclay teaches, than a face to face relationship would be impossible, because there would be no way that Josh Barclay ‘being made of three parts’ could speak to himself face to face. The New Testament never endorses the idea that the Trinity is made up of parts.

It is clearly heretical to teach that God is made up of parts! Mark T. Barclay, like the Jehovah Witnesses have warped the Orthodox doctrine of the Trinity by denying the co-equal and co-eternal Persons of the Trinity.

To the Jehovah Witnesses, the Word is less than deity and not fully God, but is a god and to Mark T. Barclay, the Word is just a part of God. Furthermore, Barclay denies the Word is the Second Person in the Holy Trinity by teaching, “He’s just one, he’s just got three parts”.

Mark T. Barclay and the Jehovah Witnesses have sister heresies condemned by the Church. Saint Athanasius describes Barclay as a woman, whose father is the devil. So for those who perceive your prophet as an ‘Elder Statesman’. Well, the famous Church father has demoted Mark T. Barclay to his rightful place as an ‘elder sister’. (((insert laugh))) Yep, the Father of Nicene orthodoxy just made fun of Mark T. Barclay!

“But, whereas one heresy, and that the last, which has now risen as harbinger of Antichrist, the Arian, as it is called, considering that other heresies, her elder sisters, have been openly proscribed, in her craft and cunning, affects to array herself in Scripture language , like her father the devil, and is forcing her way back into the Church’s paradise.” Against the Arians by Saint Athanasius

So, by teaching heretically on the Godhead. Mark T. Barclay not only attacks the Evangelical doctrine of the Trinity, but he also attacks the deity of Christ. There is no way around it! If Christ was only a part of God, than the Apostle John would have not referenced the Word as God, ‘the Word was God’ , nor identified him distinctly from the Father.

“Those that permit the Holy Spirit to be their Father. Those who will allow the Holy Spirit, remember he’s not a third Person, he is God made up of three parts just like…my son Josh and his soul is not somebody else and his spirit is not someone else, and so I got to decipher…Now there’s not three people, it’s just one Josh three parts. There’s not three Gods, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, he’s just one. He’s just got three parts. So this great Holy Spirit wants to father you.” Jesus, the Command Giver – Mark T. Barclay

“As we said above, so now we repeat, that the divine generation must not be compared to the nature of men nor the Son considered to be part of God nor the generation to imply any passion whatever; God is not as man; for men beget passibly, having a transitive nature, which waits for periods by reason of its weakness. But with God this cannot be; for He is not composed of parts, but being impassible and simple, He is impassibly and indivisibly Father of the Son.” Discourse 1:28 Against the Arians by Saint Athanasius

In dealing with the Arian heresy, Saint Athanasius also deals with Mark T. Barclay’s heresy.

So, it is pretty clear that Barclay’s heretical teaching on the Trinity is not only one heresy, but it is also partially Arianism. By the way, for those who are wondering. The modern Arians are non-other than the Jehovah Witnesses, who hold to a modified version of Arianism.

If the Church, through Christian orthodoxy recognizes the Jehovah Witnesses, who are the modern day Arians have a different Jesus and gospel. Then by the same orthodoxy, we can and should be also able to conclude that Mark T. Barclay has a different God and Christ, by teaching a heretically on the Trinity.

We have to be fair with this, or we will end up breaking the law of non-contradiction, which we would do so by saying that one group is heretical by having a teaching outside Christian orthodoxy and then saying another group like Mark T. Barclay is not by propagating the same type of heresy condemned by the Church through the Councils and Creeds.

It is important to remember that when the Church formulated the orthodox statements in the Apostles and the Nicene Creeds, they were formulated before the whole Church initially split between the East and West. So, it was the whole leadership of the Church with one voice gathering to deal with Mark T. Barclay’s heresy and condemned it along with the Arians.

The doctrinal statements like the Trinity, the Person of Christ, the Atonement, Original Sin, and the Resurrection are so foundational in Christianity. These doctrines form the line of demarcation between heresy and orthodoxy and they also form the line of demarcation between the Kingdom of Christ and the Kingdom of the Cults. These teachings are so important, because the Gospel itself rest upon them.

“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” 2 Peter 2:1-3

References

1.“In heaven Jesus was not known as Jesus, he was known as the word. In Genesis Chapter 1 it defines the Trinity of God, the three parts of God. You are made by the way after his image, three parts. There was a Creator, he was later called Jehovah, there was his word, later on when he come here. God said you call this baby, not the Word, but Jesus which really means Yahshua…. which really means the savior….So this Word in heaven he was the Word and then of course the bible talks about the Spirit of God there hovering over the creation of God. So there was the Creator he spoke through the power of his word……now these aren’t three different people. We teach them sorta, kinda almost as three different people for the sake of teaching. Now that Creator, Word and Spirit for the sake of man understanding and relating was changed by God, you can read it in the Scriptures, I know you know this, forgive me this so elementary. But it was changed to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father, the Creator, the Son of God really the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us….and then the Spirit, the great Holy Spirit……So you are three parts right after the image of God.” Mark T. Barclay, Jesus, the command giver.

2. The Hypostatic Union is the union of the two natures (Divine and human) in the Person of Jesus and is so basic to Christianity. If Christ is only a part(like the other members of the Holy Trinity) and not a Person in the Godhead, as Mark T. Barclay teaches. Then there can be no Hypostatic Union, thus undermining the gospel itself by paralyzing the central eschatological figure in all Scripture, who is Christ.

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” John 5:39